Maricopa County Attorney Rejects Key Election Integrity Reform Agreement

By Staff Reporter |

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is at the center of a contentious debate regarding election integrity. Her office has chosen not to support a reform agreement initiated by Republican State Representative Alexander Kolodin, which involved a collaboration between Runbeck, a private election services provider, and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

This agreement was part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) established earlier in the year. It aimed to instate a bipartisan observation program, enhance security measures, conduct legislative audits of Runbeck’s software, publicize election workflow documents, and grant access to historical election data from 2022.

Kolodin reportedly sought Mitchell’s intervention to facilitate the agreement. However, the absence of support from her office led him to express criticism publicly. Kolodin asserted that Thomas Liddy from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office withdrew the county from the MOU without board approval, raising concerns about procedural adherence.

“Technically, the board of supervisors has to vote,” Kolodin emphasized, accusing Liddy of exerting undue influence. He further suggested that voters should refrain from supporting Mitchell, implying she deviated from Republican principles.

Mitchell contested Kolodin’s allegations, stating that the board had previous declined to amend its contract with Runbeck to align with the MOU. According to her, the authority of her office is limited to providing legal advice rather than enforcing contract changes.

“Rep. Kolodin attempted to negotiate a separate contract with Runbeck that would change the terms of existing contracts,” Mitchell explained. She clarified that her office does not have the power to accept or reject contract terms, countering Kolodin’s claims as misleading. “MCAO can only advise the Board of Supervisors about the law.”

Despite her clarifications, some local Republican leaders remained unconvinced. The Maricopa County Republican Committee issued a statement attributing the breakdown of the agreement to Mitchell and her office’s guidance.

In response, Mitchell took to social media, asserting that Kolodin was disseminating false information regarding her office’s role in the affair. She aimed to rectify misconceptions by directly communicating with him, but he continued to propagate what she called “misinformation.”